Talk about a gambler.
At 20 she married her high school sweetheart and they started wedded bliss by buying a condominium. Finding herself bored after mastering the art of retail management, she quit her job and studied business full time. Upon graduation, she got a job almost immediately with the government. A relatively stable job with good compensation, predictable hours, and plenty of room for advancement.
At 28 she paused in the life she’d created, the life she thought she wanted, and performed an objective analysis and assessment. She found it consisted mostly of uneventful and forgettable occurrences which left a cardboard taste in her mouth. She found that in many ways she’d become two dimensional and so decided that as much as she hated to hurt her husband, it was time for her to strike out on her own. For too long she had been lazy causing her spirit to atrophy.
What followed were crazy, scary years of experimenting and discovering herself. This may sound very trite but it’s exactly what those years were. She was living her 20s in her 30s: sewing wild oats, traveling the world, and having her heart broken and breaking hearts. Crossing lines and stepping on toes. Peeling back the layers of the onion and unfurling the petals of the blossom. And all the while flourishing.
At 33 she fell in love (again!) and this time it was true. About the time they moved in together, her dream job evaporated and she was offered the choice of a severance or a transfer to a less challenging job. She took the severance. With no plan for the future but a wad of cash in her pocket, she again paused to evaluate. Satisfied she was being true to herself and the only cardboard around was in the recycling bin, she set her sights on the path ahead with her fianc by her side.
At 37 her husband opened Pandora’s Box by asking if she’d ever consider moving from their dream house with its sunny rooms and large windows that looked out upon bursting apple and plum trees. Sensing change in the air, she said yes. Two months later, the dream house was sold, she had a new job in a new town, and a new business was in the works.
From there, who knows where her path will lead. We’ll just have to check in with her again at 44, 51, 65. The funny thing is she always felt she wasn’t much of a risk taker. Seems sometimes you don’t know yourself as well as you think until your actions give you away.
The one thing she’s learned through it all though is that rather than accepting change, it’s better to initiate and pursue it. With gusto!
